California Avocado Association 1938 Yearbook 23: 141-144
Pioneering With Avocados In Argentina
September 5, 1938
"Los Frutales".
Obera. Misiones, Argentina
Dr. Constantino Issacovich
Mr. Dean P. Palmer, President
California Avocado Association
Los Angeles, California
Dear Mr. Palmer:
I received answer on my letter from your Secretary, Edna Barger, with the proposition to
be a member of California Avocado Association. It is not only a favor and a pleasure,
but also an honor to belong to a most wonderful cultural society, to a family of selected
men, devoting their time so unselfishly to the culture of the noble fruit "avocado", fruit of
the old Mayas.
I am very happy once more to be connected with the family of North Americans, this
noble people, who in the last time is taking the leadership of the world not only in
material things, in scientifical work, and what is more important in questions of moral
value.
I know the United States, I lived there for three years. Trouble is that I was in your East
up to Colorado Hills. If I could come up to California, I am sure that I would be one of
the planters of avocados over there.
In this moment to belong to your cultural society, that so many decades with such
interest, with such enthusiasm and love, is cultivating avocados, following scientifical
methods, not applied yet to many cultures—is a great thing for me as a beginner of this
culture.
I will be able to use your authority, your knowledge, interchange ideas, ask questions,
probably receive material of proper varieties—have information, literature.
Apart from my medical profession I am a pioneer and planter of different fruits in
Misiones, new country, that starts different new culture. This Misiones is filled with
emigrants of all nationalities, people that came to hospitable shores of South America,
to start the new life, to look for opportunities, and to take rest from the troubles of the
Old World.
LAND OF OPPORTUNITIES—A NEW COUNTRY
They all found in this country goodwill and possibilities. Plenty of uncultivated land,
wonderful unexhausted soil, good climate, and went to work hard. Misiones made big
progress, the basic industry is plantation of Yerba Mate. It gave to everybody the
financial resources to look for other cultures. The most natural is the culture of the fruits.
And because Misiones is the forest country and the people worked on the culture of
another forest tree—Yerba Mate, they have the preparation to start planting of other fruit
trees.
Question is to have the proper orientation, advice, necessary material to start from the
beginning in a right way. Your unselfishness, your cultural interest in planting avocados
for the best of humanity gives me the hope to receive from you the lacking elements.
We have avocados in Misiones, scattered over the country—but not a single collection
of better varieties, the trees are not classified, they are all seedlings, without name.
Nobody knows from where they are originated, orphans, without proper care, without
proper help. No nurseries of avocados, where to acquire what one needs. No people
with experience in this culture.
And in those conditions to find your society is to discover once more America. Not being
able to receive any information on avocados in Argentina, I wrote a letter to Calif. State
Dept. Agriculture and received the bulletin of Professor R. W. Hodgson. Through the
index of literature, I discovered your society and wrote immediately a letter. The rest you
know. Quick and nice answer, yearbook of the society, proposition to belong to the
society and the rest that is connected with this.
I am one more unknown soldier that plants the avocado, permit me to send to your
societies library my book written some years ago in the United States, as card of
introduction and as a token of my great appreciation and estimation of your society. If
from my part I can do anything for the society here in Misiones, I will be happy to do it.
Yours very truly,
(Signed) Dr. Constantin Issacovich
Obera, Misiones.
September 5, 1938
"Los Frutales"
Obera. Misiones, Argentina
Dr. Constantin Issacovich
Mr. Carter Barrett
Variety Committee Chairman
California Avocado Association Los Angeles, California
Dear Mr. Barrett:
In last letter that I received from your Secretary, the most obliging Mrs. Edna Barger
writes me, that in due time and at your earliest opportunity, you will write me a direct
letter regarding seeds and budwood. I would like to say to you in advance my thanks for
promised cooperation.
You know better than anybody, what means cooperation of accomplished avocado
planter for a beginner enthusiast, who in his sixties got in love with this divine fruit palta
and is trying to cultivate it in a new, but in the same time very appropriate country like
our Misiones.
I am a medical man by profession but with long years of experience in cultivating
different fruits here, I am sure that the culture of the avocado will be successful. There
are few places in Argentina cultivating avocados, but they are in need of scientific
methods worked out by your association and followed for many years with so much of
success.
ONE COLLECTION NAMED VARIETIES
Seven years ago my friend, Mr. Mayne of Naranjito, Misiones, showed me the avocado
seeds received from Buenos Aires, latter one saw there the seedlings and trees bearing
fruits in the fourth year, and having in the fifth year up to a thousand fruits on a tree.
Three years ago the same gentleman received some grafted trees from California, they
had last year few fruits, but this year they are all blossoming. Among those Californians
are the Fuerte, Puebla, Duke, Leucadia and a few others, the names of which were lost
on the long way to Argentina.
At this time in different places in Misiones are single scattered trees, originating from
seedlings from Brazil and Paraguay. Immediately I started planting and collecting of the
seeds of different varieties, and have now up to fifteen different kinds of avocados.
Three years ago I found, what seems to me, a Mexican variety, small, green and violet
palta seeds, and started to graft on those seedlings—serving me as rootstocks. Result
is very satisfactory. In grafting I was more successful than in budding, and at this time I
have two hectarias of paltas of different varieties. Of course they are not classified, but
now having your Yearbook, reading your descriptions, and seeing the Californian fruits,
I can mas o menos say, what it is.
To me they all are beloved children, but in this case for the future plantings and
developing of this culture is necessary to adopt another point of view. I am acquainted
in the culture of the other fruits with the questions of acclimatization, pollenization,
grafting, selection of strain, budwood— and being in cooperation with your cultural
society, having necessary literature, information, advice, seeds for proper rootstock,
budding and grafting material, I will be able to learn your ways and do the proper work.
Reading in your Yearbook the fascinating stories of past work done, I feel I belong even
now to the great family of Californian pioneers—but it is feeling, but what is important—
is to do properly. Selecting the proper place, selecting the appropriate variety, best
strain of this variety, proper rootstock, cultivating and other necessary things, one
cannot learn quick and so easy. One life is not sufficient for this big work.
DESCRIPTION OF MISIONES' CLIMATE
Avocados are doing very well in Misiones. Plenty of room for this culture. Misiones has
two and a half hectarias of virgin forest. The height is from one hundred up to three
hundred meters. The average year's temperature 70-75° F. Eighty inches of rain, falling
practically in intervals. Seldom long time without any rain. Winter is mild. One or two
days of frost during the months of May, June, July, August; some years no frost at all.
But it freezes on low ground. On the high places no frost at all.
Plenty of water in every ranch, creek, fuente, laguna. In many ranches in different
places different climate. Hundreds of thousands of hills, most wonderful valleys, also
anybody can select places for cultivation of avocado, clear up the forest.
Grafting and budding are easy. The best time for grafting is August, September; for
budding, November, December, January.
In Misiones grows anything. All sorts of citrus, bananas, ananas, gua-vas, marnon and
many other subtropical fruits of minor importance. Pigs, nispero de Japon, Kaki,
Pomegranates giving good results.
For ten years I am experimenting on apples, pears, prunes, peaches and have enough
of good varieties. We cannot plant them yet industrially, but for our own use with
success. Now I am trying the nuts—olives, almonds and your pecans. We are few men
in Misiones doing this pioneering work in the culture of the fruits in Misiones. Results
are encouraging. Under the stars of the United States and especially under the strain of
California, I am sure that we will advance in a proper way. I, personally, am doing what I
can, planting, experimenting, collecting, corresponding, writing popular articles in local
newspaper and giving conferences. The population is very much interested in culture of
the fruits, but we are so far from the cultural centers, and it is so difficult to receive the
proper information and help.
ENJOYS EXPERIMENTATION
This work gives me greatest satisfaction and the biggest joy in life. I don't know of any
nobler occupation than the cultivation of the fruits, than the life in the vicinity of the
nature, away from the noises and smoke.
Que descansada vida
What a restful life
Del que huye el mundial ruido
For him who flees the worldy noises
I sigue la escondida senda
And follows the hidden path
Adonde han ido
Trodden by the few wise men
Los pocos sabios
Who have existed in this world.
Que en el mundo han sido.
God bless you all and give you the health and the strength to follow your most
wonderful work for the best not only of Californians, North Americans but also for the big
world. I consider your people the leaders of the world in many things and not only of
material but of moral value and it gives me the right to ask you for help.
With all my best regards and good wishes,
Yours very truly,
(Signed) Dr. Constantino Issacovich